Really... that is cool. I hope that is true, and I would actually like for them to expand a little more on the Clone Wars era as well... hell I guess they can also go into the post-ROTS era some as well, as rumors are abound that there could be a TV series...

Well, we're getting an SA Clone in this one...a near SA Clonetrooper...and an SA AT-TE gunner. These have enough articulation, all they need is a new helmet and new color schemes. The two compliment eachother, really.

The cost to tool 3 molds (or more) for 3 figures like they did with the AOTC 3-packs though would actually run the company more.

To me, pack 3 of the GOOD basic figures into a pack later and ship 'em out as necessary... Whip in some color variants if it entices people more, but I doubt that'd even be necessary. This would be something ideal for maybe next year sometime though alongside similar packs for other eras/films.

SA E2 Clone 3-packSA VOTC Stormtrooper 3-pack...

Just something that, after a figure gets a basic release, this makes the value of the molds really take off, and the overall cost-per-unit decrease with every case sold to stores.

I agree Jesse - but I don't see Hasbro releasing these in SA 3-pks, especially after the EP2 SA Clone is gonna be in the overpriced EE 4-pks and I don't see them being that generous with the VOTC Stormtrooper.

No reason they shouldn't though... The release could depend on sales more than anything, which I can't imagine the Clones being too hard to find this year but I also don't think they'll be the pegwarmers of the season either.

The 4-pack through EE is supposedly limited (curious to see how true that is though), and it's through EE... I think the gouge there's more from a lack of effort to get a set lower price.

The 3-packs we got were all-new sculpts with surprising number of parts, for $10... 3 re-issued SA figures from the basic line SHOULD happen, it's a matter of will it... I think if Clones do so incredibly popular at retail this year as we think they will, maybe a retailer with real clout will get army builder sets in for good prices. Hasbro's said army building's going to get some focus though, so we'll see. This may be a carry-over beyond just the movie-year's blitz.

Just a strange idea I had when you mentioned the "head popping" Valin: what if they did rerelease the VOTC Stormtrooper, but they released it with three heads, all in the same package as a regular carded figure:

1 Stormtrooper head1 Luke Skywalker head with helmet1 Han Solo head with helmet

They'd probably have to do some retooling on the ball joint at the neck to make this work, and even though Luke is shorter, we could really use resculpts of both Han and Luke in the armor with a new accurate body. This would allow Hasbro to reuse an old mold, release a figure that people would be guaranteed to buy at least three of (to get one of each figure in a "permanent" manner), and it would allow people to buy multiples of a regular (and the most superior sculpt of) Stormie to build armies with.

Of course, this will never happen, but I like to live in a dream world. That's where I'm a viking.